Red Rock Corindi Surf Life Saving Club vice president Damien McSkimming, left, tries to get the club’s surf boat back on dry land, watched on by associate member Jack Leaudais, while other members return surf skis and boards that were set loose into the Clarence River in South Grafton. David Bancroft

Senseless vandalism at surf club

IT was a phone call Red Rock Corindi Surf Life Saving Club vice president Damien McSkimming could have done without.

About 8am he received a call from a Clarence Valley Council worker saying the surf club’s storage facility on the banks of the Clarence River in Through St, South Grafton had been broken into and the intruders had dragged rescue equipment into the river and let if float away.

Missing were three surf skis and two surf boards the club uses to perform vital rescues.

A surf boat, which had been stored at the western end of the building, had been dragged across the concrete floor, tipped on its side and dropped into the river.

It was full of water and had suffered unknown damage to the hull.

It had oars in the boat, suggesting the intruders were going to take it for a row, but it quickly went to the bottom.

“They mustn’t have been real smart because they didn’t put the bungs in,” Mr McSkimming said.

The intruders busted off a door facing the river in order to dump the rescue equipment into the river.

“We’ve been using this facility since about 1993 and have had some minor problems but nothing like this,” Mr McSkimming said.

“We haven’t had any problems for a while.

“They are just inconsiderate a**holes.”

Mr McSkimming said because of the time he had to take off work to tend to the damage, he would have to work through his next few lunch breaks to make up the time.

But that was the least of his worries.

Club associate member Jack Leaudais said he could not understand how people would damage property used to save the lives of others.

“You don’t need this sort of crap,” he said.

“Every now and then some idiot comes along and does something like this ... these are the boats volunteers go out and train in and rescue people.

“They might even need rescuing themselves one day.

“Every member has been out there trying to save lives.

“You do it to look after the people on the beach.

“Every bloke here is a working bloke and they have other things to do.”

Police asked anyone who had information about the break in to call them on 6642 0222.